7.27.2008

Holy blooming flowers, Batman!

Confession: philodendrons have died on my watch. so have cacti, peace lilies, and ferns.

I'm told these are easy plants to keep alive, but I have managed to let them all die. And, I try! Honestly! I put effort into keeping all of those indoor plants alive and well in my house, and have been met with disappointment and frustration on all counts.

I don't know why I expected my skill / luck / whatever to change when we moved to our house three and a half years ago and decided to try outdoor planting, but I did and (surprise! surprise!) haven't managed to keep anything going at all. Every year I have the ugliest yard on the block, every year I try to do something about it, and every year I swear off planting once and for all.

But NOT THIS YEAR!!

No! This year I invested in peat moss to change the soil quality (thanks, Mom), laid edging, newspaper and mulch to keep the weeds down and the grass out, have sprayed the leaves with Ann's rancid rabbit repellent* to steer the rabbits in another direction, and actually read one of the gardening books I checked out from the library and actually learned something from it . And I paid daily attention to the plants.

So, this week one of the plants I planted with my very own hands has (wait for it.... wait for it...)

BLOOMED!

I know this is not a major feat for most people. But my little bloom is blogworthy in my book, and marks what I hope to be a turning point.



*Rancid Rabbit Repellent Recipe: one egg, some milk, a little bit of dawn dish soap and some water.

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